The Regret in the Realization
by risingstr
Summary: AU just after Brennan tells Booth about her feelings, in the car, during "The Doctor in the Photo". A little angst ridden, but hopefully not for long. B&B
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - So this is not my first fanfic but my first in the Bones genre. This is an AU story set directly after Bones tells Booth about her feelings in the car during "Doctor in the Photo". Let me know what you think or if you think I should keep going. Rated M because I'm paranoid.**

**PS. I don't own Bones**

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><p>She sat alone in her apartment. The tears were still pouring down her face. She had finally told him. She had finally realized it herself. The world had turned upside down for 3 days, and in the end? She was in love with Booth. He was her greatest regret.<p>

She lifted her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She knew the man he was. She knew that he wouldn't just abandon Hannah. And her metaphorical heart was still broken. She didn't even know it was whole to begin with. But it had been, because of him. And now it was shattered into thousands of unrecognizable pieces that she had no idea how to put back together.

The memory of her conversation with him, in the car flashed through her mind, causing an involuntary shiver.

"I'm with someone. And Hannah…she's not a consolation prize…"

She knew before she even spoke that this would be his answer. He's an honorable man. A good man. And yet she had to say it out loud. If for nothing more than to make it real to her own mind. And then he had rejected her the way she had rejected him so many months ago.

This realization brought about a new round of uncontrollable sobs. This pain was excruciating. How could she have done this to him? Hurt him this way? The way she hurt now?

She had told him she would be fine. And he had let her step out of the car. She was most definitely not fine. But she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She breathed slowly, in and out, trying to let her mind lead her back to rationality. As her mind took control, she stood up from the couch and began to walk to the kitchen.

BUT THIS IS NOT RATIONAL! YOU LOVE HIM! FIGHT! Her mind screamed back at her. Again the tears began to fall and this time she knew there would be no stopping them.

She slumped to the ground and let the sobs wrack her body. She let her grief consume her entirely, knowing that tomorrow she would have to put her mask back on and pretend that everything was fine. As she lay on the floor of her apartment, consumed in regret and fear, she could not hear the knocking coming from her door.

She continued to sob with all the energy she had left. She hoped that she could cry out her love for him. So that by the time this was over, she would no longer feel his loss. Her sobs grew louder and more violent until she could barely breathe. She just lay there on the floor, with no idea how to move.

The knocking had turned furious, but she still could not hear it. There was nothing outside this grief.

Suddenly, something finally broke through to her as her apartment door came flying open, sending small pieces of the door frame flying in her direction.

She couldn't look up. She knew he was there, but she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. She didn't want him here. She wanted to suffer this alone. She deserved this. She had done the same to him.

His arms were around her then. Wrapped around her slight frame, while her sobbing continued. He let his hands to move down her back, moving in slow comforting circles. He pulled her body towards his, enveloping her completely, comforting her as she cried.

"Booth…please….I can't…." her sobs cutting her off. She knew this would make it harder. Being so close, but she allowed herself to melt into him regardless.

He leaned his head down until his lips were just a breath away from her ear.

"Bones…...I love you too."

He had watched her step out of the car. He had hated seeing her cry like that. He meant it when he said the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. But Hannah was waiting for him at home. And he did love Hannah.

But not as much as you love Bones. He heard his mind whisper.

He pushed the thought away and began the short drive back to his apartment.

She'll be fine. She said she would be fine. He thought to himself.

As he pulled up to his apartment he took a shaky breath. He didn't know if he should say anything to Hannah about what had happened. They were friends. Hannah and Bones. Would this make it harder on either of them? Especially Bones?

My Bones. Again his subconscious threw a sharp whisper at his conscious mind. Again he pushed the thought away.

He walked up the stairs to his apartment. Drawing out what he knew to be inevitable. She would know something was wrong. Hannah was intuitive. It was what made her so good at her job. What made people like and trust her.

He unlocked the door to his apartment with a sigh. He didn't want to talk about this.

"Seeley?" she called from the kitchen.

"Yeah. I'm home." He dropped his wet coat on the floor in the closet. He felt so drained, he didn't even bother to grab a hanger.

Hannah came flying around the corner with her arms open and then stopped short when she took in his appearance.

"What happened?" her voice colored with concern. "You're soaked!"

He could barely meet her eyes and had no idea where to begin, so he simply said "Bones."

Hannah let out a sharp breath. "Is she okay?" She knew how close Seeley and his partner were. She knew that his bond with Temperance was stronger than the bond between Seeley and herself. Though it plagued her daily, she kept holding on to what they had. Though she knew he didn't rightfully belong to her. And Temperance was her friend too.

She braced for his response.

He ran his hands up over his face and rubbed the spot between his eyes.

"I don't know. And it's my fault. I knew she wasn't ready then. But she's ready now…and…I…" he looked up at Hannah and she saw so much pain written in his expression that it took her breath away.

"I just don't know."

Hannah knew exactly what he meant. She instantly knew that what they had was over. She loved him. But she knew she could never give him the love that Temperance could give him. And she knew that he would never love her that way he loved his Bones.

"You have to go to her, Seeley." She wiped a single tear that had escaped from his eye.

"Hannah….I….." He knew she was right, but he felt paralyzed by his guilt. Guilt for what he had done to Bones. Guilt for what he was about to do to Hannah.

"I know, Seeley." She took his hand and squeezed it. "What we have….it can't compare." There was sadness in her voice, but to his surprise she sounded slightly relieved. "I can't compete with her, Seeley. I would never make you as happy as she could. I knew that from the moment I saw you together." She gave him a sad smile. "I really will be okay. I can live without you. I don't think she can."

With that she released his hand and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. As she started to walk away Booth grabbed her hand.

"Hannah. I meant it when I said I loved you.."

"But you love her more." She met his eyes and he saw her resolution there. He knew she was right and so did she. "I'll be gone by the morning." She said, releasing herself from his grasp once more. "Go. She needs you."

And with that last three words he flew out the door, not even stopping to grab his coat despite the sheets of rain still coming down outside. He had to hold her. To tell her he was wrong. He had to let her know that it wasn't too late. That he was always hers. He just hoped she would still want him.

As he started driving towards her apartment, he switched on his sirens.

He continued to hold her, trying to soothe her as she slowly began to calm. She started to pull herself out of his embrace but he just held on tighter. He wasn't ready to let her go yet. She relented and let herself form to his strong embrace once more. He wondered if she had heard what he had said. When he was on the other side of the door, listening to her sob…it was unbearable. He looked at the shattered remnants of the door frame and winced. His back would be feeling that tomorrow. She seemed better now, but the memory of seeing her lying on the floor, broken from what he had done, was still fresh in his mind, and he didn't want to let go until she knew he was here to stay.

Almost as though she could read his mind, at that moment she pulled herself tighter to him and said "What about Hannah?"

He could hear the fear in her question. He felt her body tense as though she was bracing for another rejection. He just smiled and said. "Hannah is gone."

She contemplated that for a few seconds before she became overwhelmed with guilt. She began to pull away. He tried to keep her close, but she was more forceful this time and managed to free herself from his arms. She couldn't do this to him. He was happy with Hannah. She could see that. Anyone could.

"No Booth."

His face twisted. Was he too late? Did he misunderstand? Was he being rejected again?

"I'm not going to be the one to hurt you like this. You're in love with Hannah."

As understanding of her statement washed over him, his face softened.

"I love Hannah, Bones. That wasn't a lie. But I'm in love with you. Always have been."

He smiled at her and his face was so full of love, that in spite of herself, she gave a small smile back. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared. Seeing her hesitation, Booth continued.

"She understood, Bones. She left me. I didn't ask her to go. I didn't tell her how I felt, but she knew. And she knew that it was the right thing. Not just for me but for her as well. She would have always been second to you, Bones. Even if you and I weren't together. " he paused to wipe the fresh tears from her face.

"You're my whole word. You know that right?"

She let him fold her into his embrace once more, but this time it was different. It wasn't about comfort. This embrace felt more intimate, more real.

He sensed the shift in her and pulled his face back to look into her eyes. There was so much love in the way he looked at her. So much need. She drew a ragged breath, trying to steady herself. She had never felt this close to anyone. Not physically, of course, as she had been with men before. But intimately. Emotionally. She looked back into his eyes. She felt so loved and wanted.

She never thought she would feel this way

His hand caressed the side of her face as he drew closer. Her breathing stopped. She was afraid, but she wanted this. She ached for it. She still wasn't convinced it was right for them to be doing this, but right now she simply didn't care.

As their lips touched, their need became more acute. The kiss deepened quickly, not doing enough to release the nearly 7 years of tension they had both felt. The tried hard anyway. His hands exploring the curve of her back, his fingers slipping quietly under the fabric of her shirt to touch the delicate, soft skin underneath. She gasped at the feel of his hand on the bare skin of her back, and wanted those hands all over her. She lifted her arms, inviting him to remove the pesky fabric that was in his way. He obliged, first disconnecting his lips from hers, and then in one swift move, pulled the shirt over her head and threw it on the floor.

She felt the loss of his lips instantly, and as soon as her garment was out of the way, pulled herself back to him with so much force, they both fell to the ground. He cushioned her fall, wrapping his arms around her mid-section and holding her tight to his body.

His hands had access to her bare skin, but she was still fighting to get past his wool sweater. He shivered as her fingers finally found the bottom edge of the sweater and began to make their way underneath. She pulled the garment upwards and opened her eyes to ask permission. A low growl from the back of his throat gave her the answer she was looking for, and soon his sweater and the t shirt underneath were lying in a pile on the floor next to her own.

The intense kiss continued as they laid there on the floor. The passion grew until they could barely contain themselves anymore.

Suddenly, Booth broke free of the kiss. "Bones….Bones….wait…"

She continued to kiss along his jaw line, occasionally allowing her teeth to scrape the skin behind his ear.

"You want me to stop?" there was only a hint of innocence in her tone.

"Oh God" he breathed. "No. I don't" He wrapped his arms tightly around her once more and pulled her mouth to his. But he broke the kiss as quickly as he had started it, and he pulled her away from his self.

"But I think we should."

The instant rush of cold that swept over her body, with the loss of him being so near, caused an involuntary shiver right up her spine. He saw this and stood up, walking over to the couch.

"Come sit over here with me."

She watched him hesitantly but decided to follow. She didn't know what she had done wrong. It felt so right to her.

As she sat down on the couch, Booth grabbed the blanket draped over the back and wrapped it around her shoulders. He then sat next to her, staring into her eyes.

"Booth." She looked down at her lap, almost ashamed to ask her question. "Did I do something wrong?"

Booth's eyes widened. He hadn't realized she would think that when he interrupted their passionate kiss.

"No Bones! God! I wanted to keep going! Believe me! I just think we should talk first. Make sure we're ready for this."

She finally met his gaze.

"I suppose this does change everything, doesn't it?"

He cupped his hand to her cheek and she instinctively leaned towards his touch.

"Not everything, Bones. I've loved you for a long time, remember? The difference is that now you realize it too. I just want to make sure you're sure. That you're ready for this. Because I'm ready Bones. I've been ready for a long time. "

As he spoke, his hand moved from her cheek, down to the side of her neck, to her shoulder. It felt nearly like an open flame to her and she wanted to feel that all over. Her breathing was beginning to get unsteady again. He realized this and pulled his hand away.

Again she felt the rush of cold air that accompanied the loss of his touch.

"Booth…"she breathed out. She took a deep breath, not only to steady herself, but also to organize the thoughts in her head. It was hard to concentrate with his naked chest just a foot away from her.

"I am ready, Booth. " his answering smile was like a light to her. It seemed to pull her towards him. She made a conscious effort to stay seated right where she was. She knew they had to talk about this before they went any further. She wanted him to have the chance to back out if he wanted too. It would be harder if he walked away after that line was crossed.

"However, I think you should know...I…that I…." She shook her head and looked down again.

He placed a finger under her chin and brought her gaze back up to meet his own.

"What is it, Bones?"

"I…..I don't know what I'm doing." She finally blurted. "Not in regards to the sex, of course. I know what I'm doing in that respect, but in regards to the relationship aspects, the intimacy." Her clinical tone suddenly changed to one that reminded Booth almost of a small child. "I don't know how to be loved, Booth."

Booth's heart broke as soon as she uttered the words. He moved himself closer to her and wrapped his arms around her once again.

"I'll teach you."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Wow! Thanks for the reviews everyone! I'm glad you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it. I hope to keep the chapters coming quickly and since it's -40 degrees where I live right now, I will probably have no desire to leave the comfort of my house, so I should update frequently.**

**Anyway...this chapter is a little dialogue heavy, but we had to take care of a little exposition, so hopefully you still like it! Please review! I love to hear what you think!**

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><p>They had been sitting in silence, Brennan wrapped in Booth's arms, for some time now. Neither wanted to speak and break the perfect bubble they were currently floating in. But they both knew they had some serious talking to do.<p>

Finally Booth broke the silence.

"I love you."

Brennan smiled, her head still nestled under his chin, her blanket wrapped body pressed against his bare chest.

"I love you too" She whispered back.

It was the first time she had said those exact words, and his heart nearly exploded when he heard them. He looked down at her face and saw that she was blushing.

He gave a low chuckle. "Well….then that's settled."

Brennan propped herself up on her arms to look him in the eyes, her face full of confusion.

"What's settled? Were we debating something, Booth?"

Again he chuckled as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"No Bones. Nothing to debate. It's just…we love each other." The confusion still showing on her face told him she still didn't understand, so he continued. "Knowing that should make the rest of the stuff we have to talk about a lot easier."

She cocked her head to the side as she processed this new information. "That's an unverifiable argument, Booth."

Booth laughed at her scientific response. She smiled in spite of herself as his shoulders shook. "Oh Bones." He said, wiping a tear from his eye. "You trust me don't you?"

"Of course I do!" She exclaimed immediately.

"Well then trust me on this one okay? Knowing that you love me, makes everything else just a little less important." He lifted his hand towards her face and allowed his fingers to lightly trace the shape of her bottom lip. "And when you heard me tell you I love you….what did you feel?"

She let out a shaky breath as he continued to caress her face. "I…I felt….I've never felt so happy in my life." She finally managed to say. He smiled warmly, knowing it was his own touch that was making it hard for her to speak. He pulled his hand away, knowing there would be plenty of time for that later.

"So then, in that moment, there were no other burning questions in your head? Nothing else splitting your attention." He asked.

"No. There was only you in my head. That you said you loved me. A moment later, however…"

"No Bones. That one moment is all that matters for right now. For the purpose of THIS conversation. And if all you had in your head was me, and that was enough for you, for that one moment, then the rest of it we can figure out. Do you understand?"

She smiled at him. In that moment, the one moment where she heard him say that he loved her, she felt loved. She felt whole for the first time in her life. True, the next moment had been clouded with questions and doubt, but for that perfect moment, his love had been more than enough. She realized she had lost the argument and she gave him a sheepish look, with just the hint of a blush.

"I concede your point."

He gave her his best charm smile and pointed at her "So basically what you're saying is….I'm right."

She smiled back. "Yes. You are right." She laughed along with him for a moment. Then with a sigh, realizing they were not done talking about this, she looked him in the eye. "But we still have some things to talk about."

He stared back into her deep blue eyes looking for any signs of hesitation or fear. He saw none there, only concern. "What are you worried about, Bones? Our work, our friends? Or are you worried about us?"

"Both. All of it." She answered sadly, looking down.

Again he raised his hand to touch beneath her chin, lifting her face so she would look at him. "It's okay to be scared, Bones. But I need you to know. I'm not going anywhere. I know this is mostly new to you. But you're better at this than you think you are." He smiled warmly. "You've been letting me love you for years, Bones. Even if we didn't say it. You weren't pushing me away. You were letting me closer. I'm not going to stop loving you. Not ever."

"Booth…you can't.."

"Don't tell me that I can't know that, Bones. I DO know it. I'm absolutely positive! Do you honestly think I would have waited for you for almost 7 years, just to give up the first times things got hard?"

"Are you angry with me?" she asked quietly.

Booth softened his expression and his voice. He hadn't realized he was beginning to raise his voice.

"No Bones. I'm not. Not at all. I just want you to hear me. I'm. Not. Going. Anywhere. You're it for me. And things will sometimes be hard, but that's normal. Couples sometimes fight, but they work through it. It won't always be easy, Bones. But I won't stop loving you. Because I don't want to. It's as simple as that. Do you want to stop loving me?"

He feared her answer, but the question had no judgment.

She thought about what he said and realized her answer was simple. "No Booth. I don't. Not ever."

Booth's answering smile made her laugh out loud. The only thing she could compare it to was the look a child might have on Christmas morning when Santa brought him the one thing he really wanted.

"Bones…"

"Yes?"

"Kiss me."

She leaned forward and touched her lips to his. Softly at first, then yielding to their new found love, it deepened and became more passionate. Quickly, he pulled back, breathless from the intensity of it.

"Bones.." he gasped.

"Whaaaat?" Her reply came out as a whine, forcing him to laugh out loud. He didn't think he had ever heard her whine before.

"I want to kiss you, Booth. It's all I want right now. I don't want to talk anymore."

Her tone was incensed, which made him laugh even harder.

"Ok Bones, but what about your other concerns. Our work? Our friends?"

She relented. "Okay, you're right. A change in our relationship doesn't just affect us, and I should give that the proper weight of consideration that it deserves...but I'm not done kissing you, Booth. We will be returning to that later."

He chuckled and eased her body away and into a more upright position. As he did, the blanket fell from around her shoulders, exposing her milky white skin and the left strap of the black silk bra she was wearing. Unconsciously, he licked his lips in anticipation of what would come later. This did not go unnoticed by Brennan, who smiled devilishly at this display of his baser instincts. "Later, Booth. I promise."

"Okay. So...work first." He shook his head to get himself back into the present instead of fantasizing about what they would be doing later.

"They're not going to break us up." Bones said in a matter of fact tone. "Our close rate is too high. And there is currently no rules in place against FBI agents dating contracted employees. I am not a government employee, I am an independent contractor, and therefore they have no legal right to enforce their opinion when it comes to my personal relationships..."

"Woah, woah, Bones! Easy! I get it, okay? No rules in place. Besides...I'm not the one you have to convince. It's Cullen and Hacker that make my rules. But you should use that same speech when you talk to them. I would reeeaaaallly like to see Hacker's face after that! Ha!"

Booth smiled warmly at her, knowing she was only getting this worked up because she was afraid someone would try to break them up. It made him feel warmer somehow. Safer.

She gave a nervous laugh. "You don't really think they'll try to break us up, do you Booth."

He shook his head.

"No. You're right, there aren't really any rules about. It's mostly just frowned upon. But Hacker asked you out, right? So how he really punish me for doing something he wanted to do."

"Booth...I never had sex with Hack..."

Booth quickly lifted his hand to cover her mouth.

"Agh! Agh! Ugh! No...please. That's not what I meant. I only meant he wanted to make you fall in love with him."

"Oh. Well. He never would have." she said simply. He laughed softly.

"But you are in love with me?"

Brennan's eyes got wide "I already told you that Booth! Are you unsure now...did I say someth..."

"Shhh. Shhh. Bones. I just like to here you say it, is all."

"Oh." she said again. "Well then...I love you Booth."

"I love you too." he placed a soft kiss to her cheek and then leaned back to his side of the couch.

Her body instinctively followed him and he had to place his hands on her shoulder to hold her in her place.

"Alright. So that's the work issue pretty well resolved. What about the other one?"

Brennan thought about the last concern. It was by far the most complicated. She didn't want the dynamic to change.

"Our friends...I don't know Booth. What if this changes everything? Although, if history teaches us anything, then we can learn from Hodgins and Angela and their relationship didn't have a negative effect on our work dynamic." She sat thoughtfully. "Well, for the most part, anyway."

He loved watching her analyze every aspect of the problem in her head. To him, nothing was sexier than watching her use that genius brain of hers. He let her continue to puzzle things through and simply listened.

"Of course anthropologically speaking, sexual relationships in the workplace tend to have a negative effect on the work community and can lead to lower productivity, possible legal ramifications, sexual harassment suits, awkward..."

"Bones?" he stopped her before she could finish her anthropological assessment.

"Yes, Booth?"

"Are we both professional people?"

She looked slightly confused by his statement. "Yes."

"Do we both take our jobs very seriously?"

"Yes."

"Okay then. No offense to your anthropology, but they don't know anything about us."

She thought about that for a few moments and then smiled.

"You're right. They don't"

He opened his mouth in mock surprise "Two times in one evening? That's got to be a record!" He began to pull out his cell phone. "Can I get you to say that on camera?"

"BOOTH!" She slapped his hand away playfully as she laughed.

"Bones, this team is already a family. Angela is probably going to throw us a party! Cam has known for a long time how I feel about you and she would happy to see us happy together. Hodgins pretty much tows the line as far as Angela is concerned, but he loves you, too and just wants you to be happy. Sweets...well, Sweets will probably pee his pants, but then he'll get over it, try to take credit for our relationship and demand that we go back to couples counseling. He'll just be happy to be allowed to study us again. And the rest of them...they ALL love you Bones. Everyone just wants us to be happy. They've all been pushing us in this direction for years."

"They love me?"

He smiled at the shy way she asked the question.

"Yes Bones. They love you. See? You're better at being loved than you thought."

He took his hand and entwined their fingers together, just to prove to her that she wasn't alone. He understood what a change this would be for her. How much of a loss of control this required and how much she hated not being in control. He would help her with every fiber of himself. So she would be happy. That was all he wanted in the world now. Her happiness. She seemed to feel his thoughts and squeezed his hand more tightly.

"So how do we tell them? When do we tell them?"

"Let's just take it slow, Bones. We'll tell them when we're ready to tell them and not a second before. Why don't we give ourselves a little private time before we bring anyone else into this?"

"I think that's a wonderful suggestion, Booth." she smiled.

For the first time in her life, Brennan let go of the shield she had been holding so close to herself. She let Booth be her armor, at least in this. She would trust him. With her whole self. And although she had no way of quantifying or proving her theory, she just knew that he wouldn't let her down.

"What about Parker, Booth?" she asked nervously.

"Parker? Are you kidding? Parker asks me on a weekly basis when I'm going to make you my girlfriend. He LOVES you!" He saw Bones shine when he said this. He loved seeing her this happy, but he just couldn't resist. "Of course, you do have a pool...so..."

"Not funny Booth!" she punched him lightly in the arm.

With one swift move he grabbed the hand she meant to punch him with and pulled her over into his lap.

"So...I think that was your whole list of immediate concerns, wasn't it? Us? Friends? Work? We even snuck in a little family talk. Anything else you want to talk about?"

She caught up to his mood in an instant.

"I'm tired of talking." Her eyes smoldered as she moved her face closer to his.

"Oh." he smiled devilishly, "well if you're tired...I guess we can just go to slee..."

She cut off his last word by forcefully joining her lips to his.

"You may have been right twice today." She said between kisses. "But you're still not funny."

And with that the blanket was once again thrown to the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Okay, so just a very short one today but I know some of you were probably waiting to read this part. I actually wanted to include this in the last chapter, but I didn't have time to write it. I tried to keep it a little subtle but still give you an idea of how they were feeling. I hope you enjoy!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I have no idea if I lost you all in the last chapter. This is a whole new kind of writing for me, so I'd love to know what you think!**

**Thanks in advance :)**

**Oh yeah! I still don't own Bones. Well...I have a cat named Bones and she's mine, but that's about it.**

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><p>The kiss became more and more intense as they began to explore each other. Suddenly the couch was just not going to suffice.<p>

"Booth…" Brennan breathed as his tongue caressed the delicate curve of her neck and his hands worked their way down her back towards her buttocks.

"We should go to the bedroom."

He let out a low growl of approval as he quickly scooped her into his arms and stood. She let out a small involuntary yelp at being so blatantly man handled, but secretly she appreciated his Alpha male dominance.

"This way Bones, I don't have to stop kissing you." He said as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

Quickly they made their way to the bedroom and he placed her so gently on the bed, she felt almost as though she had floated down. Once she was secure on the bed, he took a small step back.

"Are you sure, Bones? This really will change everything for us." He was terrified she was going to take this opportunity to back out, but as usual, she surprised him.

"I'm sure Booth. I've never been surer than I am right now." She held out her hand, inviting him on the bed with her.

As he moved towards her on the bed, she laid back allowing him to move over top of her. And the kiss picked up where it left off, but more urgent now. Not only were they ready to step over this line, they were ready to run so far past it they couldn't see it anymore. The line didn't even exist now.

Somewhere in the haze of their ragged breathing, hands exploring and mouths working in perfect synchronicity, the rest of their clothes were removed and discarded.

Booth looked down at her body with longing and love. "You are so beautiful"

She blushed from head to toe as she felt his eyes travel over every inch of her. "I want you Booth."

He carefully held most of his weight off of her as he moved over her once more, placing soft kisses along her body as he moved back up towards her lips. As he moved himself between her legs, she gasped with the realization of what they were about to do. The feeling shocked her. Not just that they were about to give themselves to each other so completely, but that she wanted to so badly. She wanted to feel that release with him. And as the moment approached where she would experience him fully, she whispered. "I understand now, Booth. What you meant when you spoke about two people becoming one."

He had stopped to look in her eyes, feeling like he should ask permission to continue, after hearing her gasp, but statement gave him the answer he hoped for, and in that moment he made the final move to join their bodies together.

The feeling of pleasure was nearly overwhelming to her, but he continued to look into her eyes as they made love. Neither of them had ever felt a connection like this with any other person. They truly were one person in this moment.

He worshipped every inch of her body with his and watched every moment of pleasure wash over her until she released again and again.

Her fingers explored his body, caressing, holding and setting his skin on fire, until she had shown her love to every part of him. After a time, he too finally got his release and they fell apart, gasping for air.

They both lay there for a moment, adjusting somewhat to the new world they were living in. Suddenly, Brennan started to laugh. Booth looked over at her a little confused.

She could barely speak she was laughing so hard. "We could…we….could…."

"Bones?" he was smiling, though still confused. He propped himself up on his side to better look at her. She looked so beautiful, lying naked next to him, looking happier and more free than he had ever seen her.

Finally the laughter subsided. "Oh Sorry….We just…we could have saved ourselves a whole lot of trouble if we just would have done that the first time we met."

Now it was his turn to laugh, and she happily joined in again. He reached his arm underneath her and pulled her towards himself. He was so happy.

"I love you so much Bones."

She smiled as she traced small circles on the glistening skin of his chest. "I love you too."

He ran his hands along her spine sending shivers across her whole body. "How do you feel."

She smiled and yawned. "A little spent, actually. But I find i'm very content, Booth. You?"

He reached over the side of the bed where the blankets had been carelessly throw and pulled them back onto the bed to cover their cooling bodies. "I feel...amazed, overjoyed, blessed." He kissed the tip of her nose as she giggled. A very uncharacteristic sound for her.

"So you're happy, Booth?"

"Ecstatic!" He rolled him self towards her and began to kiss her again. She returned his passion. There was nothing more to say. They would spend the rest of the night showing each other how much love they shared. It was going to be a very long satisfying night.

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><p>The next morning, having gotten no sleep, they lay in each others arms contemplating their next step. Brennan stretched and yawned. "We have to go to work, don't we?"<p>

"Bones? You don't want to go? I can barely ever get you to leave the lab! Are you feeling alright" He jokingly placed his hand on her forehead.

She pushed it away. "I feel fine, Booth. Don't be ludicrous. I simply would prefer to spend the day in bed with you."

"I'll agree with you on that one. I can think of a few things I would rather be doing than filling out paperwork." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

She chuckled and leaned over to run her teeth along his mandible before placing a quick kiss on his lips. He groaned. "You keep that up, Bones, and we're never getting out of here."

She snuggled herself closer to his body and relished the warmth she felt radiating from him. He brought his hand up to stroke her hair. "We have to get up baby."

She snapped up quickly. "Baby? I don't know how I feel about you calling me that." He watched her face, waiting for her to process and come to a decision. "Although, you have called me that at least once before."

"I did?"

"Yes. The night you saved me from the crazy scalpel wielding doctor. Don't you remember?"

He cocked his head to the side as he brought the memory back. He winced when he remembered the blood pouring from her arm. "Huh. I guess I did."

"Yes. I didn't particularly mind at the time, although I was bleeding profusely from a large laceration in my arm. However, i remember it making me feel safe..."

"Soooo...you like it then."

"I like it when you call me Bones. It's the first nick name I've ever had that wasn't cruel."

"You used to yell at me for calling you Bones!"

"Yes, well, I've adjusted my position. I like it. It's something only you call me. Isn't that the purpose of a so called 'Pet Name'? Why do you need to call me anything else?"

He started laughing at her sudden outburst. "Okay, okay, I give. Bones it is!"

She smiled as he lowered his lips to hers once more. "Booth?" she said, barely intelligible as there lips were still mostly pressed together. He pulled away, slightly. "Bones?"

"You can call me baby if you want to. As long as you never stop kissing me like this." He obliged by pulling her to him once more. Within minutes, the blankets had once again been tossed to the floor.

Booth and Brennan lost themselves in each other once more before they faced the rest of the world.

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><p><strong>Like I said...super short. Sorry :(<strong>

**Next chapter? Back to work! And is Hannah really gone?...dun..dun..dun...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - Thanks for all the subscribtions and favorites guys! I'm glad that people are enjoying the story. I would like to see some more reviews though:( Does anyone have anything they would absolutely love to see happen? Let me know!**

**And sorry about the delay in posting, I haven't had a lot of time to write recently. And then I was having problems with ff not letting me upload, but it's all good now, so ENJOY!**

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><p>Brennan walked into the lab feeling more than just slightly self-conscious. It's not that she felt everyone would know what she had been doing for the past 9 hours or so, she was more concerned that she, herself, would be displaying some sort of violent change in her behavior that would allow them to deduce the reason why. One thing she knew for sure was that she needed to avoid Angela at all costs.<p>

"Sweetie!"

_Shit. _Brennan thought. She hesitated to turn around right away, which told Angela something was up almost immediately. "Ang…..uh…I have to…." And with that she walked quickly to her office. She closed the door behind her and hoped Angela would take the hint not to follow her. No such luck.

The door came swinging back open and Angela came flying through like a bloodhound hot on the trail of a fresh kill. "Brennan! What are you hiding?"

Brennan tried her best to keep her face neutral. "What makes you think I'm hiding something? I told you, this case just had me a little wound up…."

Angela pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to determine whether this statement was true or false. She needed to dig further. "Well, yeah, this case has had you acting nuts for days, so what's the deal?"

"I don't know what that means."

"Brennan. That doctor is not you." Angela said, once again getting right to the root of the issue.

_Although only one of the issues I am currently working through…_Brennan thought to herself.

"I know that Ang. Like Micah said, the world just turned upside down for three days. I am just starting to re-adjust. "

Angela laughed. "Ok sweetie, now I'm confused. Micah the night watchman?"

Brennan smiled. "Yes. He has actually been quite helpful to me these past few days. I was…struggling."

Angela sat down, ready to take on her best friends problems and find her a solution. It was the thing Brennan loved most about Angela. She was always there for her. For a moment she contemplated telling her about Booth. It would make things easier, to have someone to talk to about what she was feeling. In the end her fear won out. _Maybe later…_she thought.

"What were you struggling with, sweetie?"

Angela's voice was filled with genuine concern. She saw how deeply this case had affected her best friend and she had been worried, but hoped that Brennan would talk to her or Booth if she needed to.

"I'm okay Angela. I really am. I just needed to work some things out. But I'm fine now." She quickly averted her eyes, not wanting to let Angela see that she was more than just fine She was thrilled with the way things were now. She had regrets before, but she didn't have them anymore. She was with Booth.

Angela saw the shift in her immediately.

"What changed?" she squinted her eyes at Brennan, almost daring her to lie.

"Nothing…Ang…I just…I talked to Booth…and…"

"What happened with Booth?" Angela looked so excited it made Brennan laugh out loud.

"Angela…." Brennan pleaded with her eyes. Begging Angela to not make her continue.

Angela knew when her friend had been pushed too far and seeing how fragile she still was, she decided to let it go.

"Okay sweetie. You don't have to tell me anything right now. But I'm not going to let this go forever."

Again Brennan laughed. "I know Ang. Trust me, I know."

The whole lab could tell there was something different about Dr. Brennan, though no one could quite put their finger on what.

Brennan was currently on the platform attempting to catalog a large collection of ancient remains that had be sent from a dig in Costa Rica. Brennan worked methodically from table to table, recording her findings as she went. Cam walked up to the platform to check on her progress when she noticed something odd. She actually had to walk directly up to Dr. Brennan and listen very closely, just to be sure she was actually hearing what she thought she was hearing.

"Dr. Brennan? Are you humming?"

Brennan hadn't realized she had been, but quickly stopped when Cam spoke.

"Um…I didn't realize that I….um…yes, I was." She finished sheepishly.

Cam saw her discomfort and quickly qualified her statement.

"Hey! No judgement here, Dr. Brennan, I just don't think I've ever heard you do that before."

Brennan quickly tried to shrug it off, but the light crimson blush on her cheeks gave her away.

"Yes, well…"

Cam watched her closely for a few more seconds before deciding that it wasn't the time to figure this one out. Dr. Brennan was always very candid and sometimes innappropriate with her descriptions and Cam wasn't sure she wanted to hear what was going on in her head. But just to make sure she wasn't the only one who had noticed, she shot an inquisitive look to a nearby Dr. Hodgins. He just shrugged in reply.

Brennan continued to work, though she couldn't get the memories of the previous night out of her head. She would shake her head almost inperceptibly, every few seconds when a particularly steamy moment from the night before would invade her thoughts. Still, she remained a professional and continued her work.

Suddenly while measuring the length of the right femur from one of the sets of remains; a female of hispanic origin, mid twenties to early thirties, she felt a new hot blush creeping up the back of her neck and coloring her cheeks.

She knew he was there. She could feel him. She didn't dare turn around, because it was the one thing she really wanted to do. She wanted to run off the platform into his arms and pick up where they left off this morning. She took a deep breath and continued her task, which she had never found tedious until just now.

From below the platform, Booth stood, watching the woman he had spent the morning, and frankly the last 6 and a half years, fantasizing about. Only now, he had a lot more to work with inside his mind. He watched as she leaned over the table and a piece of her hair fell gently in front of her face. Unconciously, he had begun moving closer and closer to the platform. Angling himself in such a way that he could see her face. He wanted her to look up. He knew that she knew he was there. He had seen her body react to him the moment he laid eyes on her. He didn't know how she felt him, but he had seen it with his own eyes. Her body reacted when he was near.

It made him feel powerful. She would tell him that it was due to his Alpha male dominance, feeling proud that his mere presence was able to cause a physiological reaction in his mate…or something to that affect. But it didn't matter to him. He just loved that she had let him so far into her heart , _metaphorically speaking, _ his internal Brennan whispered to him, that she could sense him without even seeing that he was there.

At that moment she finally darted her eyes in his direction. A quick glance, but her small smile and his answering grin said volumes. Unfortunately for both of them, the small exchange was not missed by Angela, who had just been making her way on to the platform. This new information, however, steered her off her original course and she made a beeline straight for Booth.

Booth was still lost in his own thoughts, staring at Brennan, unable to hide the wonder on his face.

"Ehem…" Angela cleared her throat to let him know she was standing there. Still it took a few seconds before he could break his focus, and when he did finally tear his eyes away, it was almost painful. Then, when he realised who was standing in front of him, he quickly stammered, trying to recover from what he knew she had just seen.

"Angela?"

Angela gave him her best "I know what you were doing" smile and simply answered. "Seeley." Before making her way back over the the platform, shooting him one more knowing look before swiping her card to enter the secured area.

_Shit, Shit, Shit! Well. That was subtle Booth. _He thought to himself. Well he guessed if anyone was going to figure this out on their own, it would be Angela. He shot her a pleading _Please don't say anything_ look and hoped she understood. She gave a quick sympathetic nod and then her face broke into a huge amused smile. He shook his head and took a deep breath. He was actually here for business reasons.

"Hey Bones!"

She shivered at the sound of his voice, which caused Angela to release a slightly hysterical giggle. Brennan looked at her in confusion before allowing her eyes to rest on Booth. As they locked eyes, both their faces broke into mmediate and involuntary smiles.

"Hey…are you here for...I mean, do we have a case?" She stammered. She was having to conciously keep her feet stationary. She wanted to be in his arms.

"Yeah….a case… Right! The case. Somebody reported a dog digging up what looks to be human remains. They're..uh…holding the scene for you."

She smiled again at his obvious nervous behaviour. At least she wasn't the only one feeling this way.

"Okay. Let me just get my kit. I'll..uh…ride with you?" It came out as a question, but he simply smiled back in answer.

As Brennan was just about to step off the platform, she was suddenly pulled into a hug by her best friend. As Angela crushed her in a loving hug, she nearly screamed "I'm so happy for you, sweetie!"

This caused several people, including Cam and Hodgins, who were both working on the other side of the platform, to turn and stare with confused expressions.

Hodgins was the first to speak "What's goin' on Dr. B?"

Booth could see that Brennan had no idea how to respond or what to say. She had only just realized that Angela had figured out their secret. He figured it might be good time to do some rescuing and he smiled at the thought that rescuing her was his official responsibility now.

"Come on, Bones, time to go! We have some remains to examine!" and with that, he pulled her out of Angela's grasp and the rest of the distance off the platform towards the door, leaving one very excited looking artist and two very confused scientists staring after them.

As they made their way through the parking structure, Booth had his hand on the small of Brennan's back, leading her towards the car. His touch felt red hot to her, even through her clothing. As they neared the vehicle, she could no longer control her reactions and as he reached to open the car door for her, she turned and crushed her lips to his. He reacted immediately, pressing her body up against the vehicle, dropping the jacket he had been carrying in his hands, so that he could touch her. His hand made it's way under the fabric of her shirt so that he could feel her flesh under his fingers. Their lips still joined, she let out a soft moan. The kiss continued, until oxygen became a real concern and their lips broke apart, leaving them both gasping and panting, still in each others arms.

"How are we going to get anything done, when this is all I can think about, Booth?" she said, running her fingers over his lips. He placed another sweet kiss on her lips, before moving down her jawline towards her neck. She felt her heart race in reaction to the slow movement of his lips on her skin, and the most pleasant shiver ran down her spine. "Oh..my God..Booth…" she breathed as he continued. '

He didn't answer her. Not yet. He wasn't done kissing her yet. He brought his lips to hers again, this time with even more urgency and she responded in kind. They continued this way for several more minutes before he finally began to pull away. The way they were wrapped around each other at this point was way past innappropriate for a work place, and if they continued, he knew the back seat of his FBI issued SUV was going to end up being christened in a pretty serious way.

Booth was now able to answer the question she had asked as he moved his hands away from her body unwillingly and once again tried to open his door.

"We'll find a balance eventually, Bones."

She smiled nervously, and got into the vehicle as he closed the door behind her. He ran around to the other side of the car, not wanting to be seperated from her for too long. Their unexpected passion had rattled him. He realized that even his addiction to gambling could not compare to how much he craved her, and that shook him a little. As he opened the driver's side door and entered the vehicle he took a shaky breath and breathed in the smell of her that was not only filling the car, but still lingered on his clothes from the moment before. As he looked across at her, she was smiling.

"I love you, Booth." She said as she buckled her seatbelt.

"Agh..."he exclaimed as he reached over and unbuckled her again, so he could pull her back towards him. He kissed her again, their tongues dancing together in perfect rythym. "At this rate…" he said between kisses, "we're not going to get anywhere." She laughed and deepened the kiss, nearly climbing across the seat to be closer to him. He wasn't feeling overly perceptive, as the only thing he could concentrate on right now was her, but he was pretty sure that their actions were fogging up the windows.

On the other side of the parking structure, a slight blonde woman stood staring at the vehicle the couple had just occupied. She wiped one solemn tear that had escaped from her eye and was making it's way down her cheek. She took a deep breath as she walked back through the door she had just come out of, knowing now was not the time to get what she needed. The story could wait.

They looked so happy. And her heart was broken. "Did I do the right thing?" she said outloud to no one.

And with that, Hannah Burley walked to her car and drove away.

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><p><strong>Reviews? What do you think? <strong>


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